In mid-July, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences [1] held a day-long regional forum on the Humanities and Civil Society [2] at the House of the Academy in Cambridge, MA. Two dozen scholars and civic leaders provided testimony on the importance of the humanities and social sciences. State humanities council leaders from the New England area were in attendance as were representatives from the Federation of State Humanities Councils. The forum was recorded and videos of the presentations are available on the Academy’s website [2].
- Listen to Federation of State Humanities Council president Esther Mackintosh’s introductory remarks [3] on the foundation of the 56 state humanities councils and their development as organizations working in support of public life in a democracy.
- Listen to Vermont Humanities Council director Peter Gilbert [4] discuss the importance of education and honoring lifelong learning in society in the introduction to the K-12 Enrichment and Lifelong Learning panel.
- Listen to Connecticut Humanities Council director Stuart Parnes [5] discuss how CHC demonstrates the value of the humanities to economic life and the importance of the council’s work as part of the panel on Cultural Heritage and Economic Development.
- Listen to Mass Humanities director David Tebaldi [6] discuss the unique role of humanities councils in public life and how they can improve the quality of civic life for their citizens as part of the panel on Cultural Heritage and Economic Development.
Other videos include: